SEE: The sadness of a business man as his livelihood goes up in
flames or that family returning home, only to find their house and belongings in ashes

KNOW: What it is to search a burning building, for trapped and hiding children, flames rolling above your head, your palms and knees burning as you crawl, the floor sagging under your weight as the kitchen beneath you burns.

COMPREHEND: A wife’s horror at 3am as I check her husband of fourty years for a pulse and find none. I start CPR anyway, hoping against the odds to bring him back, knowing intuitively its too late. But wanting his wife and family to know everything possible was done.

KNOW: The unique smell of burning insulation, the taste of soot- filled mucus, the feeling of intense heat through your turnout gear, the sound of flames crackling, and eeriness of being able to see absolutely nothing in dense smoke, sensations that I have become too familiar with.

UNDERSTAND: How it feels to go home in the morning after your tour of duty, having spent most of the night, soaking wet at a multiple-alarm fire.

READ: My mind as I respond to a building fire, ‘Is this a false alarm or a working, breathing fire?’ ‘How is the building constructed?’ ‘What hazards await me?’ ‘Is anyone trapped or hiding from the fire – and me?’ ‘What is wrong with the patient?’ ‘Is it minor or life threatening?’ ‘Is the caller really in distress, or are they waiting for us with a 2by4, or even a gun?’

BE: In the emergency room as the doctor pronounces dead the beautiful little 5yr old I have been trying to save during the past 25 minutes, who will never go on her first date or say ‘I love you mommy’ again.

KNOW: The frustration I feel in the cab of the engine, the driver with his foot pressing down on the pedal, my arm tugging again on the air horn chain, as you fail to yield right of way at an intersection or in traffic. When you need us, however, your first comment upon our arrival will be, ‘It took you forever to get here’.

READ: My thoughts as I help extricate a girl of teenage years, from the mangled remains of her car, ‘What if this were my sister, my girlfriend, or a friend’ ‘What are her parents reactions Going to be as they open the door to find a police officer?’

KNOW: How it feels to walk in the back door and greet my parents and family, not having the heart to tell them that I nearly did not come home from this last call.

FEEL: My hurt as people verbally, and sometimes physically,
abuse us or belittle what we do, or as they express their attitudes, of ‘It will never happen to me’.

REALISE: The physical, emotional and mental drain of missed meals, lost sleep, and forgone social activities, in addition to all the tragedy my eyes have viewed.

KNOW: The brotherhood and self-satisfaction of helping save a life or preserving someone’s property, of being there in times of crisis, or creating order from total CHAOS.

UNDERSTAND: What it feels like to have a little boy tugging on your arm and asking, ‘Is my mommy ok?’ Not even being able to look in his eyes without tears falling from your own and not knowing what to say. Or to have to hold back a long-time friend who watches his buddy having rescue breathing done on him as they take him away in the ambulance, and you knowing all the while he didn’t have his seat belt on.

UNLESS YOU This kind of life, you will never truly understand or
HAVE LIVED: appreciate who I am, what we are, or what our job really means to us.

A Fireman's Little Girl
I am very dedicated to my work. I wear firefighter shirts every day, even when I'm not on duty. The fire department is my second home, and my second family. It often seems as if my life revolves around the fire department, but it means nothing compared to my little girl. I am normally a very friendly person, but if you hurt my little girl you will make me mad. I know my little girl is growing up, even if I don't like it. She seems to like you, so Ill tolerate you dating her, but here are a few things for you to think about while you're with her:
First of all, I go into burning buildings to save people that Ive never even seen before, you cant imagine how protective I am of my little girl.
I once broke a mans sternum by accident while doing CPR to save his life. If that's how I help people what do you think I do when I'm pissed off?
I investigate arson fires. I know exactly what clues to look for to prove it was arson so I also know how to make sure nobody can tell how a fire started... and I know where you live. Remember Backdraft?
I've worked more car accidents than you'll ever see; the sight of blood doesn't bother me one little bit.
Its normal for me to carry chainsaws, axes, and various other extremely sharp tools in my car. Touch my little girl and me and you take a little ride.
When we burn down a house for training, nobody ever looks in the closets.
I use the Jaws of Life to tear doors off wrecked cars. They cut though solid metal like a hot knife through butter. So watch your paws or get the jaws.
Sirens and air horns can really muffle the sounds of someone screaming.
Most of my friends are cops, paramedics, or firefighters. WE ARE 911. If you make me mad who do you think you're going to call for help?
I have access to explosives.
I am well trained in emergency medicine. I know exactly which arteries are the easiest to sever and which ones bleed the most. (Remember all the sharp tools?)
Even though my little girl insists that you are a nice guy and not like most other guys, I know better. I was once your age; I know EXACTLY what you're thinking. Because of that I already have plenty of reasons to not like you. It wouldn't take much at all to push me over the edge, and I just sharpened my axe.
So if you want to date my little girl you better keep these things in mind. Firemen are protective by nature, and there is nothing we are more protective of than our little girls. Whenever you're alone with her, you better remember that someday you may be alone with me!